Jersey’s parliament has given final approval to legislation that would allow assisted dying for terminally ill adults living on the island.
The States Assembly backed the bill by 32 votes to 16 on Thursday (26th February), however it will require Royal Assent before it comes into force.
Under the proposals, mentally competent adults diagnosed with a terminal illness and who have lived in Jersey for at least 12 months would be eligible to request an assisted death. The service isn’t expected to be available for at least 18 months while systems are established.
Support of the law has been growing in Jersey for a number of years. A 2024 poll revealed 61% of islanders were in favour of the legislation and a citizen’s jury in 2021 recommended assisted dying be permitted in certain circumstances.
Matthew Jowitt, Jersey’s attorney general, said he would be ‘astonished’ if Royal Assent was not granted. He told the Assembly: ‘If it [wasn’t], we would be facing a constitutional difficulty of some magnitude.’
The island’s minister for health and social services, Tom Binet, said: ‘Jersey would have one of the safest and most transparent assisted dying laws in the world.’
States Assembly member Louise Doublet said approving the bill would be ‘one of the most meaningful things we can do for our island.
‘It is a compassionate gift we are giving our island. As a humanist, I am guided by principles of compassion…It will make some really difficult moments in people’s lives a little bit less painful.’
The news comes as a private member’s bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales is being scrutinised by the House of Lords. The legislation was first proposed by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in October 2024 and would permit assisted dying for adults with six months or less to live.
In Wales, the Senedd has voted in favour of assisted dying services being provided on the NHS if that legislation becomes law.
Meanwhile, the Isle of Man became the first place in the British Isles to pass assisted dying legislation last March. Although, it is yet to receive Royal Assent. The Isle of Man service is expected to become operational between 18 months and two years after approval is granted.
Andrew Copson, chief executive of Humanists UK, described Jersey’s vote as a ‘historic moment’ and a ‘momentous vote of confidence for compassion, dignity, and choice at the end of life’.
Image: Nick Fewings/UnSplash
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